Going through the phases of the reference interview in VS .NET

Drawer QR Code in VS .NET Going through the phases of the reference interview

The purpose of the reference interview is to find out about what exactly you ll be researching Go into a reference interview with an open mind about what you will learn You should also assume that it is likely that what you hear from your research client to start with will not be what you end up researching, because research clients often do not understand their own projects You ll need to help the client understand the true questions they need to have answered

TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !

The reference interview consists of three parts: 1 Reviewing background information 2 Determining the scope of an assignment 3 Repeating back to the client your understanding

An example of background information, if you re asked to research competitive business intelligence, would be to learn about a company s products and its industry Here are some hints for conducting the background portion of the interview: Ask open-ended questions: A good technique is to get the client to talk about the projects For example, you can start by saying Tell me about ____ Researchers often have a favorite open-ended background question Mine is: If you were directing a movie about this, how would the capsule review read Get clarification: If there is anything you don t understand, make sure to get it explained and clarified If necessary, write down your questions and ask them after the client has finished describing the project Put on your thinking cap: After you have a general sense of the subject matter to be covered, drill down to the heart of the matter by asking Why as often as you can (but not so often as to feel you re being a nuisance) The idea is to look at the topic from as many perspectives as possible so that you can identify potential problems early in the process One question you might want to ask early in the background portion of the interview is who your audience is You need to know if the research is for public consumption, for a marketing team, for the Board of Directors of a major corporation, or for a class full of third graders Every audience has its own needs, and the research questions you ask (as well as how you answer and present them) vary accordingly When you think you have enough background information, summarize what you have found out and move on

An important goal of this phase of the interview is to sufficiently narrow down and clarify the research topic As a result of this phase of the discussion, you will produce a list of questions that your research will answer (If you have trouble coming up with questions, see 3 for some tips)

TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !

Be careful to make sure that the questions you come up with are questions that your research can realistically answer This is also the time to make sure that the questions are formulated with clarity and precision If your assessment is that the research project involves special difficulties for example, maybe it requires some kind of public records research this is a good time to convey those potential pitfalls to your client In this case, if you decide to continue with the project, you should probably explore what happens if your research hits a dead end Here are some topics you should be sure are addressed at this point: Scheduling: How long do you have to complete the project You should talk about schedules, the length of time you ll be working on the project, and any other issues of timing Confidentiality: You should also find out if the information you have been given is confidential, and, if so, respect its confidentiality You may be asked to sign a written NDA (nondisclosure agreement) Money: Don t forget to talk about payment, payment schedules, method of payment, and overtime payment Be prepared to give a fair preliminary estimate of how long the project will take you to complete Format: You should also use the second phase of the interview to determine how the research results will be delivered Some clients want written results, but they may also want a multimedia presentation prepared The method of inquiry might shift a little if you re looking for information that can be easily rendered into a visual format Here are some of the common formats for research question and answer deliverables (see 12 for more details), roughly ranging from least formal to most formal: Informal answer to an ad-hoc question, delivered in person, by phone, or via e-mail Compact verbal report, either on the phone or in person Summary e-mail Web delivery of initial results An executive summary A PowerPoint presentation An extensive in-person presentation A formal written report or paper, with or without formal sourcing information

TEAM LinG - Live, Informative, Non-cost and Genuine !